Where have all the members gone on this forum?

[Thunder_Mountai]

Couldn't figure any other place to ask this question... I've been here since 2005. Have no idea how many posts I've done during that time. Back a several years ago I could ask a question about something and get numerous answers quickly. In the last couple of years I've noticed a very real decline in the activity on RV.NET. So, where has everybody gone? Other forums, Facebook, etc.

[blofgren]

dedmiston wrote:

IAMICHABOD wrote:
Also Old Biscuit,when going to his profile it says"member could not be found" Did he pizz off the wrong person and get banned again or was taken out by mistake like last time?

He quit the forum and asked to have his account removed about a year ago.

That's truly a shame; I really enjoyed his many very informative posts. 😞

[IAMICHABOD]

dedmiston wrote:

IAMICHABOD wrote:
Also Old Biscuit,when going to his profile it says"member could not be found" Did he pizz off the wrong person and get banned again or was taken out by mistake like last time?

He quit the forum and asked to have his account removed about a year ago.

Thanks.I guess you can be to cantankerous to stick around :B

[dedmiston]

IAMICHABOD wrote:
Also Old Biscuit,when going to his profile it says"member could not be found" Did he pizz off the wrong person and get banned again or was taken out by mistake like last time?

He quit the forum and asked to have his account removed about a year ago.

[way2roll]

IAMICHABOD wrote:


Also Old Biscuit,when going to his profile it says"member could not be found" Did he pizz off the wrong person and get banned again or was taken out by mistake like last time?

Says his last post was a year ago. Doesn't seem right. I swear I remember seeing posts from him more recently. Of course my memory isn't what it used to be.

[IAMICHABOD]

Having read thru most of this thread and I have to admit that I don't think that most of the sub-forums are not over moderated except for one and I have blocked it so I wont even see it.

On another note a on the question of where they have gone.I used to get a lot of information from 2 members that seemed to have disappeared. One was Chris Bryant.

Also Old Biscuit,when going to his profile it says"member could not be found" Did he pizz off the wrong person and get banned again or was taken out by mistake like last time?

[Cloud_Dancer]

I'm 82, and I've never seen so much widespread ignorance and meanness and division (within the USA). But, I'll stick around for as long as I have a motorhome.

[way2roll]

Find it ironic that my last comment was deleted. Lots of folks on here sharing thoughts about over moderation. Some stick, some get deleted. I was actually told by a mod in a PM I was on a "watch list" and my comments suffer greater scrutiny than others and they can be deleted even if they don't break rules. Teaching me a lesson I guess. Because that's the point of moderation...

[Microlite_Mike]

JimK-NY wrote:

IMO, overly aggressive and poor moderation are tops for killing forum participation. Sure there will always be some argumentative and opinionated participants but that well meaning moderation/censorship is worse and can kill a forum.

Couldn't agree more and I've watched "over-moderation" kill off some really great forums.

On some it seems like the "moderators" have formed their own clique and if you don't agree with them you can't join. Kind of like High School.

[Last_Train]

This was a good thread to stumble upon . . . Wondering what ever happened to a particular forum member from Ontario: SoundGuy. I would run across his posts fairly regularly when we first joined after we bought our 2016 Freedom Express 192RBS. He had the same rig, though one year older and had posted a catalog of photos of interesting mods he had made. He always seemed up for a bit of an "intense discussion" when challenged! But I would often skim through those argumentative discussions to see if there was anything I might learn.

Aside from SoundGuy, without trying to list them, I want to give a tip of the cap to many of you folks who have dispensed tons of great knowledge borne out of experience. It was a great help to us when we were starting out, and now with several years of RV experience ourselves we've had the privilege to pass along some of the stuff we've learned here. So kudos to those who have paved the way!

[BobsYourUncle]

Caveman Charlie wrote:

BobsYourUncle wrote:
I'm still here! Do I count? :B

Have to admit, I'm in here almost every day, mainly lurking, reading stuff, posting here and there, not so often any more.

I don't do Wastebook of myface or yourspace or flutter, twistedgram or twitface or any of those things. For me it's a waste of time.

I like this forum, always have. But yeah, I've seen a lot of folks come and go, and many just disappear.

But I'm still here!

And somebody, somewhere, owns a camper that they bought used and they are wondering why every time when they turn on the furnace the camper smells like butter.

:B
Lol! I'll never live that one down!

[univmd]

I think most have gone to specific Facebook Groups since everyone is on Facebook already and it is so much easier to post pictures.

[Boon_Docker]

dedmiston wrote:


Hit that "Notify" button when the politics bother you. The mods may not agree with you that it's political, but it does absolutely no harm and points out things that we miss sometimes.

I've worked with the rest of the mods for 17 years or so and I believe we're all very good about calling balls & strikes where the politics are concerned. We may not see eye to eye on certain issues, but I think we get it right where politics are concerned.

My barometer for this is that we all kind of naturally take pokes at whoever is in office (which I personally agree with and think it's a vital part of our democracy). This means that I'm constantly deleting posts that bash our president and to a lesser degree our congress. This makes it look like I'm supporting the guy in office, which usually isn't the case. But if we have a blue guy in office and I delete the posts bashing him, then I'm a dumb lib. And if we have a red guy in office and I delete the posts against him, then I'm a fascist pig. I'm wrong either way, which kind of tells me I'm not that wrong.

Anyway, hit that Notify button if a post gets under your skin and I'll see what I can do.

[JimK-NY]

Most of us are here and contribute because we are interested in RVs and all the associated issues. Most of us are also here to help and go out of our way to provide information and opinions that might be of use to others.

So where does it go wrong and how do forums peak and die? IMO, it the biggest issue by far is the "moderators". I have had this happen to me on various other forums involved with non-RV topics.

After dealing with a highly motivated and highly academically oriented HS student, I learned a great deal about college selection, finances and admission criteria. I participated on a forum for a couple of years, had hundreds of posts, helped countless parents and students navigate lots of difficult issues. Eventually a moderator took exception to some of my opinions and advice. After a 3 day forum suspension, I never bothered to return.

I spent years on a retirement forum which discussed all sorts of financial and other issues related to retirement. I made 25000 posts and had 50000 "likes". Eventually it happened. Someone complained they did not like my advice, nor the choice of words. A couple of others agreed including a moderator. I stopped participating.

I have had moderator issues on this forum as well. Covid was the hot button. A large number of people, including moderators, seem to think Covid is a hoax. Posts involving trying to RV during the Covid pandemic were unwelcome. I had a couple of recommendations deleted which was almost enough for me to quit these forums entirely.

IMO, overly aggressive and poor moderation are tops for killing forum participation. Sure there will always be some argumentative and opinionated participants but that well meaning moderation/censorship is worse and can kill a forum.

[winnietrey]

fj12ryder wrote:
"In my opinion, we have as a country, gotten meaner and more tribal then anytime I can recall. Pretty sad."

I beg to disagree, it's just reported more often, and in greater detail than it has been in the past. Many things simply didn't get told in the past, now it is much tougher to hide things we would rather simply not see.

As far as more tribal, consider the KKK from around the turn of the century, the Black Panthers from 50 years ago, and now the local out-there militias. They've always been around, but now there's so many cameras out there, very little doesn't get light shone on it, like it or not.

I agree with you on the media thing 100%. But my take (and I get it is a small sample in my little world), But I have been in health care a very long time. Think primary care stuff, so I listen and talk to the patients. I cannot recall hearing what I hear now from the average Joe patient, very much more tribal

I would like to be wrong and hope I am, or maybe I am senile who knows, just don't recall such strong opinions, that is where my statement comes from.

[fj12ryder]

"In my opinion, we have as a country, gotten meaner and more tribal then anytime I can recall. Pretty sad."

I beg to disagree, it's just reported more often, and in greater detail than it has been in the past. Many things simply didn't get told in the past, now it is much tougher to hide things we would rather simply not see.

As far as more tribal, consider the KKK from around the turn of the century, the Black Panthers from 50 years ago, and now the local out-there militias. They've always been around, but now there's so many cameras out there, very little doesn't get light shone on it, like it or not.